Local Business Scores Big with Granola

BLOOMSBURG — A local business has received a huge boost in sales after its granola product was featured on the Dr. Oz show.

Sales have skyrocketed for Columbia County Bread and Granola after Dr. Oz tasted its product on his show. Now the company has to keep up with a new high demand.

All it took was the simple word of mouth, and boom, Columbia County Bread and Granola, a local business based out of Bloomsburg exploded with high sales.

Owner Doug Michael says he never thought his granola, and his partnership with health advocate Lyn-Genet would turn into something so huge.

“She was developing a plan for her clients, a nutritional plan, and it was exactly what she was looking for. I had no idea that this was the one person in the universe to have given this product too. She must have been surprised when it got to her,” said Doug Michael.

After Columbia Bread’s fruit-and-berry flax-seed granola was featured on Dr. Oz in January sales soared to heights Doug Michael never even imagined.

“We had one set of ovens over there, and there was only one guy baking to keep up with the orders, and it was only 30 orders per week or so. After Dr. Oz it was boom, a thousand orders and we had to hire 30 new people and get them trained,” said Production Manager David Boniscavage.

Prior to the Dr. Oz show, company leaders say they were shipping 100 bags a week. Now a month later, they say they’re shipping 2,400 bags a week and they’re still struggling to keep up with the demand.

“Well, when we got busy, we needed to step up, and I was, flustered. Yeah, I’m learning every day and each day is new challenges, but it gets me up in the morning,” said Michael Perakovich, Director of Operations.

“We’re finally getting to that point where we’re starting to move forward and catching up,” Boniscavage added.

The company says its healthy fruit and berry flax-seed granola is targeted more towards women, but Columbia County Bread and Granola hopes to continue to make new products for men as well.